Apparatus for preparing the surface of a panel on a fire extinguisher shell to receive printing thereon



2 SHEETS SHEET 1 INVENTOR.

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R. F. RUSSELL TO RECEIVE PRINTING THEREON APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE SURFACE OF A PANEL ON A FIRE EXTINGUISHER SHELL Nov. 4, 1952 Filed Nov. 28, 1950 1952 R. F. RUSSELL APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE SURFACE OF A PANEL ON A FIRE EXTINGUISHER SHELL TO RECEIVE PRINTING THEREON 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed NOV. 28, 1950 INVENTOR. arr/[Russel/ ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 4, 1952 2,615,222 APrAn-ATUsFoR PREPARINGTiiE SURF C OF. A PANEL. ON

A EXTINGUISHER SHELL ro RECEIVE PRINTING THEREON Richard F. I Russell, Elmira, N. 1Y.,'assignor to American-La 'France-Foamite Corporation,

Elmira,

N. Y., a corporation of New York mime November 28, 19 50 ,Serial No. 197,905

- 6 Claims.

V Thepresent invention relates to apparatus ior preparing thesurface of a panel on afiregextlnguishershell to receive printing thereon; and relates more particularly. to an apparatu for roughening the surfaceof a panel on thefire extinguisher shell by blasting such surface with abrasivematerial, I p I g The presentjinvention is especially adapted and designed to prepare the surface .of a panel on the surfaceof a 'cylindrical, metal fire extinguisher shell to which'lettering or other characters are to ea p An object of the pres'entinventionis to provide apparatus for rougheninga limitedjareaof the surface of a metal fire extinguisher shell 'by b1asting the same with abrasive material in a qu'i'ck and efficient manner, and with complete safety to theoperator. Another object of the invention is to provide .an apparatus for'preparingjhe surrace oi such 'anarea that insures the prepared area being uniformly'positioned on each 'fire extlnguisher shell treated. A further object ofthe present inventionis to; provide a apparatus by means or whiohclean sharp definition isobtained between the prepared 'rea andthe adjacent surfaces of the fire extinguisher shell.

Other objects and advant' ges of tteifiv'fitjitn willbe apparent and best understood tromlthe following description and the accompanying raw rle sin li h T 1 g. 1is aside elevation of a blastingma'chine mb d n h res n i en io F ig.- 2 is an end view in section alongthe'line F Fig; 3 is a ,plan view of" a portion of the ma-- chine'illus'tratedin'l ig'.1; I I

Fig.4; a plan view of afixture for supporting fie cylindrical shell on the'machine 'illust'rated'in Fig. 5 is a section view taken along the line i -5 of Fig. 4, but on an enlarged scale;

*Fig. -6 is a section viewftaken .etl ong'ithe line 6-6 of Fig. f1, but onan enlargedscale; and '-Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view'in section taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 3. y Referring now to the drawings in' detail, there is a cylindrical fire extinguishershell 'Ifl' that may be made of I stainless" steel, brass' or other suitable material. Such shells are bufie'd and polished so. that their outer surfaces are'smooth and present an. attractive appearance. However, in applying lettering setting forth instructions as to the manner in which the extinguisher is to be used or other identifying characters, itis desirable to ronghen a limited area on thesu'rface of the extinguisher shell to receive the lettering or the like. Such an area may be termed an instruction panel and willbe referred -to hereinafter as such. g

' Asshown in the drawings, shell Ill is placed on its side in a fixture so that it extends over an opening in the fixture and a limited area on its surface is exposed through said opening to blasting apparatus contained within a chamber I2. As shown best in Figs. 4, 5

and'6, the fixture I I consists of afbase'l3 that 'has the fire extinguisher a central opening therein communicating with the interior of the chamber I2. The" central opening in the base I3 is defined by inwardly sloping side walls I4 and I vertical" end walls I 5 extending upwardly from the base I3. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the sidewalls I4 and the end walls I5 define a rectangular opening, but it will be understood that various shapes of openingsmaybe employed-as desired. U

I The upper ends of the end walls I5*have a concave, arcuateshape conforming to thecylindrical shell III and the inner edges of the top ends ofthe inwardly sloping side wallsld are also'arcuately shaped to conform to the contour of the-cylindricalshell. A masking gasket'lfi of a compressible material such as abrasive-resistant rubber issecured to the arcuately shaped portions ofthe end walls I5 and the side walls llso thatwheniflie extinguisher shell III is placedonth'e fixture ll andis urged into engagement with the gasket underpressure, a seal is formed betweenthefixture and the cylindrical shell. The sealing of the cylinder 7 I r In q t e fixture u in this manner accomplishes two things; first; it

prevents leakage of abrasive material'around the edges Ofllhe opening in 'thefixture durin'gth'e blasting operation; and second, it insures theobtaining of clean, sharp lines between the edges of the "instruction panel and the finished surfaces of the shell adjoining the instruction panel. 5 Also, the masking gasket I6 maybe remavabiysecuied to the fixture so that it can be removedand replaced if it becomes Worn or damaged.

The shell I0 is urged into engagement with'the masking gasket'IB under pressureby a yoke-I1 that is located above the shell in opposing relationto the fixture II. The yoke I1 is connected to a plunger I8 of an air cylinder I9 through a coupling 20. The air cylinder I9 is supportedby a bracket 2| above the shell I0 and is connected to'a source of air under pressure tomove the yoke II into and-out of engagement with the-upper side of the shell II] at appropriate times in the operation of the machine. v I

The apparatus for roughening the surface of the panel area on the shell II! is of a conventional type by means of which streams of an abrasive material may be blown against the surface of the shell by air under pressure and it need not be described in detail here as it forms no part of the present invention. Briefly, this portion of the apparatus consists of a series of movable nozzles 22 that are located within the chamber I2. The nozzles 22 are connected by fiexible tubing or hose 23 to a source (not shown) of air under pressure by means of which an abrasive material is supplied to and ejected from the nozzles. The nozzles 22 are supported on an arcuate member 24 and are directed toward the opening defined by the fixture II in such a way that the jets of air containing the blasting material that emerge from the nozzles overlap slightly at their edges as they strike the surface of the shell supported on the fixture, as shown in Fig. 2. I

The arcuate member 24 supporting the nozzles 22 is in turn supported on a rack 25 that is reciprocated lengthwise of the opening through drive means including gearing, indicated generally at 26, a speed reduction unit 27 and a reversible electric motor 28. During the blasting operation, the rack 25 and the nozzles 22 are moved lengthwise with respect to the opening in the fixture ll so as to cover the entire surface of the instruction panel area on ported on the fixture. This traversing movement of the nozzles may be repeated a number of times if required to obtain the desired roughening of the surface of the panel area and if desired, the rack may be arranged to operate a limit switch 29 to reverse the operation of the motor 28 automatically as it reaches the end of its travel in either direction.

In order to insure proper positioning of the extinguisher shell I!) so that the panel on each cylinder treated will be located in the same position with respect to other portions of the extinguisher shell and to insure complete safety to the operator of the machine, operation of the motor 28 and the supply of air under pressure to the nozzles 22 is controlled by switches 30, 3! and 32. The switches 30, 3| and 32 are normally open and are closed by the shell in being clamped in place in the fixture II. The switches may be connected in series in a suitable control circuit for operating the motor 28 and the means for supplying the air under pressure to the nozzles.

The switch 30 is supported at one end of the fixture I I as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 and is depressed and closed by engagement with an elbow Illa that extends from the side of the extinguisher shell l9 when the shell is placed in the fixture and is properly positioned. This insures that the instruction panel will be formed on the front of each shell subjected to the treatment. The uniform positioning of the panel on the shells in this manner also permits the shells to be readily-indexed in applying the lettering or other characters to the instruction panel.

The switch 3| is located at the other end of the fixture II and is closed by engagement with the end of the shell [0 when the shell is resting on the mask IS. The third switch 32 is carried by the yoke l1 and its operating member extends through an opening in the yoke I! so that it will engage with the shell l0 and be closed when the yoke is brought into engagement with the shell l0. Since all of these switches must be closed before the blasting operation can take place and their closing depends on the shell It! being propthe shell sup- 4 erly positioned in the fixture I I, they prevent any possibility of injury to the operator by accidental operation or operation when the shell is improp erly positioned on the fixture.

It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art in the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A blasting machine for preparing the surface of an instruction panel on a fire extinguisher shell for the application of marking thereto that is characterized by a fixture for supporting a fire extinguisher shell in a position on a chamber where a limited area of the surface of the shell is exposed to jets from a series of blasting nozzles contained within the chamber, said fixtures having upstanding side walls defining an opening communicating with the chamber and positioned above the nozzles therein, the tops of said side walls being shaped to conform to the contour of the extinguisher shell, a masking gasket of compressible material interposed between the extinguisher shell and the tops of the side walls of the fixture, a yoke engaging with the extinguisher shell in opposing relation to said fixture and urging the shell into engagement with the masking gasket and a pair of switches in a circuit controlling operation of the machine carried by the fixture in position for engagement by portions of the fire entinguisher shell supported thereon, said switches normally being open and being closed by engagement with the extinguisher shell to complete the circuit controlling operation of the machine.

2. A blasting machine for preparing the surface of an instruction panel on a cylinder such as a fire extinguisher shell to receive markings that is characterized by a fixture for supporting a cylinder in a position on a chamber where a limited area on the surface of the cylinder is exposed to a series of jets converging upon each other, said jets containing abrasive material and emerging from a series of converging nozzles movably mounted within the chamber, said fixture having upwardly and inwardly sloping side walls and upstanding end walls defining an opening communicating with the chamber and positioned above the discharge ends of the series of nozzles, the tops of said side and end walls being shaped to conform to the contour of the cylinder, a masking gasket of compressible material carried at the tops of said side and end walls and extending around the opening defined thereby,

said gasket being interposed between the tops of said side and end walls and the cylinder supported thereon and mean for movin said nozzles lengthwise with respect to the opening defined by the fixture.

3. A blasting machine for preparing the surface of an instruction panel on a cylinder such as a fire extinguisher shell to receive markings that is characterized by a fixture for supporting a cylinder in a position on a chamber where a limited area on the surface of the cylinder is exposed to a series of jets converging upon eachother, said jets containing abrasive material and emerging from a series of nozzles located within the chamber, said fixture having upwardly and inwardly sloping side walls and upstanding end walls defining an opening communicating with the chamber and positioned above the discharge ends of the series of nozzles, the tops of said side and end walls being shaped to conform to the contour of the cylinden a masking gasket of compressible material carried at the tops of saidside and end walls and extending around the opening defined thereby, said gasket being interposed between the tops of said side and end walls and the cylinder supported thereon and a member positioned above the fixture for engaging with the cylinder supportedthereon in opposing relation to the fixture, said member urging the cylinder into engagement with the masking gasket on the fixture.

4. A blasting machine for preparing the surface of an instruction panel on a cylinder such as a fire extinguisher shell to receive markings thereon that is characterized by a fixture for supporting a cylinder in a position on a chamber where a limited area on the surface of the cylinder is exposed to jets containing abrasive material from a series of nozzles located within the chamber, said fixture having upwardly and inwardly sloping side walls and upstanding end walls defining an opening communicating with the chamber and positioned above the discharge ends of the series of nozzles, the tops of said side and end walls being shaped to conform .to the contour of the cylinder, a masking gasket of compressible material carried by said side and end walls at the tops thereof, said gasket being interposed between the tops of said side and end walls and the cylinder supported thereon, a switch carried by said fixture in a position for engagement with one end of the cylinder supported thereon and a second switch carried by the fixture in a position for engagement with a positioning member extending from the cylinder on the side thereof, said switches normally being open and being closed by engagement with the cylinder to complete a circuit permitting operation of the machine.

5. A blasting machine for preparing the surface of an instruction panel on a cylinder such as a fire extinguisher shell to receive markings thereon that is characterized by a fixture for supporting a cylinder in a position on a chamber where a limited area on the surface of the cylinder is expoesd to jets containing abrasive material from a series of nozzles located within the chamber, said fixture having upwardly and inwardly sloping side walls and upstanding end walls defining an opening communicating with the chamber and positioned above the discharge ends of the series of nozzles therein, the tops of said side and end walls being shaped to conform to the contour of the cylinder, a masking gasket of compressible material carried by said ide and end walls at the tops thereof, said gasket being interposed between the tops of said side and end walls and the cylinder supported thereon, means for holding the cylinder in engagement with the gasket on the fixture, a switch carried by the fixture in a position for engagement with one end of the cylinder supported thereon, a second switch carried by the fixture in a position for engagement with a positioning member extend-ing from the cylinder on the side thereof and a third switch carried by the cylinder-holding means in a position for engagement with the cylinder supported on the fixture, said switches normally being held open and being closed by engagement with the cylinder to complete a circuit permitting operation of the machine.

6. In a machine for blasting an area on the surface of a fire extinguisher shell in preparing the surface of the shell to receive markings there on, the combination of an enclosed chamber having an opening therein, a fixture supported on the chamber, said fixture having upstanding walls at the sides and ends thereof defining an opening communicating with the opening in the chamber, the tops of said upstanding walls being shaped to conform to the shape of a fire extinguisher shell, a masking gasket of compressible material removably secured to the tops of the side walls and interposed between the upstanding walls and the fire extinguisher shell, clamping means engaging with and urging the fire extinguisher shell into engagement with the masking gasket on the fixture, a plurality of movable nozzles located within the chamber, said nozzles being directed through the opening in the chamber and toward the surface on the shell defined by the opening in the fixture, means for moving the nozzles lengthwise with respect to said opening and control means for rendering the nozzles and said last-mentioned means operative, said control means being operable by proper positioning and clamping of the fire extinguisher shell on the fixture.

RICHARD F. RUSSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 955,468 Motz Apr. 19, 1910 1,317,809 Motz Oct, 7, 1919 1,819,331 Lytle Aug, 18, 1931 2,307,816 Zimmerman Jan. 12, 1943 2,328,350 Lindenmeyer Aug. 31, 1943 

